Relationship between financial speculation and food prices or price volatility: applying the principles of evidence-based medicine to current debates in Germany.

ABSTRACT: There is an unresolved debate about the potential effects of financial speculation on food prices and price volatility. Germany's largest financial institution and leading global investment bank recently decided to continue investing in agricultural commodities, stating that there is little empirical evidence to support the notion that the growth of agricultural-based financial products has caused price increases or volatility. The statement is supported by a recently published literature review, which concludes that financial speculation does not have an adverse effect on the functioning of the agricultural commodities market. As public health professionals concerned with global food insecurity, we have appraised the methodological quality of the review using a validated and reliable appr

SUBMITTER: Bozorgmehr K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3819662 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature